Dryer fire sparks mess at Ukiah homeless shelter

December 1, 2013, 2:56PM

12/01/2013

A dryer fire at a Ukiah homeless shelter Saturday night caused the evacuation of a dining hall and a flurry of firefighting activity for hours.

The 10:30 p.m. fire was at the Buddy Eller homeless shelter on Brush Street in northern Ukiah.

Overhead sprinklers went off in reaction to the burning dryer, helping keep the small fire in check, said Ukiah Valley Fire Capt. John Strangio.

But the sprinklers also flooded the building with a few inches of water, Strangio said. Firefighters spent hours clearing the water from the building.

Strangio estimated about 30 people were evacuated for less than an hour. The building, one of a group of structures on the campus, wasn't used for sleeping, so no one apparently was displaced for the night.